Immunology in Weed Science

Abstract

Many problems in weed science may be solved by utilizing immunochemical techniques, although these techniques are currently underutilized by weed scientists. In this review, we describe some of the methods of greatest use to weed scientists. Antibodies may be raised against proteins, such as the targets of herbicide action or against the herbicide itself which can be linked to a larger molecule so that antibodies are elicited. Once specific antibodies are obtained, several techniques may be performed utilizing the binding phenomena of antibody-antigen interactions. Immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy are utilized to obtain tissue and subcellular distributions of the protein or herbicide of interest. Quantitation of either protein or herbicide in a given sample may be performed by ELISA or “slot” and “dot” blotting. These protocols are less costly, more sensitive, and much less labor-intensive than most analytical methods. Molecular mass or charge alterations may be determined by electrophoresis and subsequent immunoblotting. With the increased exposure to immunological techniques by weed scientists and their potential utility, we predict that many more weed science problems will be addressed using these protocols.